Mike Huckabee has
a résumé fit for a GOP presidential nominee:
Southern Baptist preacher, former Arkansas governor,
fierce opponent of abortion and same-sex marriage.
Those attributes would seem to be exactly what fellow
conservatives are looking for in a candidate.
What he lacks is
money and a household name, shortcomings that have
proved costly to his campaign. He barely registers in polls
and is struggling to break out of the pack of
Republicans seeking to be seen as credible
alternatives to the strongest contenders—Rudy
Giuliani, John McCain, and Mitt Romney.
''I'm a serious
candidate,'' Huckabee said in an interview, arguing that
the media should treat him as such. ''You'd think those
three are the only people running.''
His predicament
is common in the wide-open 2008 race where there are
qualified candidates who are significantly hampered by the
high-money, star-studded nature of the contest. Among
Democrats, Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware and Christopher
Dodd of Connecticut and New Mexico governor Bill
Richardson fit that mold.
Their
difficulties reflect the frenzied nature of an early
campaign that places even greater importance on
fund-raising, organization, and celebrity. As a
result, otherwise strong hopefuls might be forced to quit
the race before most voters begin paying attention. Already,
three expected heavy-hitters—Republican Bill
Frist and Democrats Mark Warner and Evan
Bayh—decided not to run.
In the GOP
contest, Giuliani, McCain, and Romney have more money,
superior campaign organizations, and better marks in
popularity polls than Huckabee. Yet conservatives who
are important voters in the primaries view the three
front-runners as flawed.
''Huckabee comes
across credible. He's an articulate conservative. But,
so far, he is a victim of the money game,'' said David
Carney, a Republican operative in New Hampshire.
''Another problem he has is a Newt and a Fred out
there.''
That's a
reference to ex-House speaker Newt Gingrich and former
Tennessee senator Fred Thompson. Both are polling far
ahead of Huckabee as they simply consider whether to
run.
With so many
serious contenders in a field that could grow even larger,
is there even room for Huckabee to emerge?
He believes so
and pledges to compete hard, even as he acknowledges the
hurdles. ''There's a definite disadvantage on the money
side,'' he said, and media coverage can be hard for an
underfunded hopeful to earn.
His strategy
relies on using his stellar communication skills to shine in
debates and gain footing with the media while continuing to
generate grassroots support in small Iowa and New
Hampshire venues.
''He's building
the momentum that's necessary to peak at the right
time,'' said David Beasley, a former South Carolina governor
who endorsed Huckabee on Saturday and calls him the
GOP's dark horse. ''As the dust settles and the smoke
clears, he'll be standing in the top tier with a great
chance at becoming the nominee because he appeals to the
average voter.''
Huckabee contends
he will benefit as the three front-runners face
increased scrutiny on issues that matter to the Right and as
he promotes his conservative credentials.
''Those guys are
all out-front. They might as well be wearing bull's-eyes
on their back,'' Huckabee said. ''Every time we're doing
debates and voters see me onstage with them, they'll
see that I belong there too.''
Republican
observers have praised Huckabee's recent debate performances
and said he is the most likely of the seven GOP underdogs to
gain steam.
''Very sharp,''
said Chuck Laudner, the Iowa GOP's executive director. He
said Huckabee's debate appearances reflect the savvy he is
showing while campaigning. ''He's saying the right
things, and he's saying them in the right places.''
A gifted orator,
Huckabee combines a grasp of the issues, honed over 10½
years as governor, with a minister's plainspoken language
and a Southerner's down-home charm.
He had the
one-liner of Tuesday's debate at the University of South
Carolina when he mocked a Democratic candidate's $400
haircuts. ''We've had a Congress that's spent money
like John Edwards at a beauty shop,'' he said.
More
substantively, he deftly answered critics who call him a
serial tax-raiser. He said he cut taxes 94 times as
governor—"that's a pretty doggone good
record.'' He defended a voter-approved gas tax
increase to improve roads and a sales tax increase following
a court order to improve schools.
''Do I apologize
for going along with what 80% of the people of my state
supported? No. Nor do I, in any way, apologize for building
roads,'' he said. ''Do I apologize for complying with
a Supreme Court order to improve education in [a]
state that desperately needed it? Of course I don't.''
Politely, he
challenged Giuliani for believing abortion is wrong but
backing abortion rights. Huckabee praised the former New
York City mayor for being honest about his position
but said, ''If something is morally wrong, let's
oppose it.''
His folksy style
showed again in a critique of the country.
''There's an old
saying in the South: It takes more money to do it over
than it does to do it right,'' Huckabee said. ''We're now
seeing that in the United States. We're doing a lot of
things over. Maybe we should have just done it
right.''
Since leaving
office in January, Huckabee has mostly campaigned in Iowa
and New Hampshire while making frequent trips to New York
City and Washington, D.C., for fund-raising
events and media appearances. He plans to focus
heavily on Iowa in leading up to a major test, a
straw poll in August.
Money, however,
is such a concern—he raised a paltry $544,000 from
January through March—that he may end up having to
choose between competing in Iowa's leadoff caucuses or
focusing on New Hampshire's primary. (Liz Sidoti, AP)
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